A sunroof includes a rigid closure panel connected, by way of slotted guide links arranged on either side thereof, to a forwardly and a rearwardly disposed sliding shoe which are guided in tracks for slidable displacement therein, with the rearward shoe being driven by a cable and being provided with a pin which is adapted for engagement in a slot of the guide link, and with the forwardly disposed shoe serving as a bearing to enable pivoting movement of the closure panel, and wherein the guide link is connected, by way of a leg spring, with a further sliding element, and is secured against sliding movement by a spring-biased detent lever which engages in an aperture provided in the track.
In an arrangement of this type, which has been disclosed in German Offenlegungsschrift DE-OS No. 33 00 308, the detent lever is fastened to the sliding element which is connected with the guide link by a leg spring. This sliding element is also connected with the rain gutter at the rear of the roof. To lift the detent lever out of its locking position which it assumes with the track, there is arranged on the rearwardly disposed, cable-driven shoe an extension which extends rearwardly and which is guided on the track. Once the detent lever is moved out of its locking position, its second arm is put into locking engagement with the extension of the driven sliding shoe which will effect coupling, the arrangement being such that the closure panel is being moved into its closing position in that it is being coupled with the sliding element for independent movement by way of the leg spring, the sliding shoe, the hook and the extension. However, in view of the many parts needed, an arrangement of this type is complicated and expensive to manufacture. The closure panel actuating mechanism also occupies a relatively large amount of space, and the parts are subject to rapid wear.